Matt Hinshaw/The Daily Courier<br>
Prescott police officers secure the scene of a possible or attempted murder-suicide Thursday night in the parking lot of a medical building across from Prescott High School.

Prescott police have notified next of kin and have released the identities of the couple involved in this incident. Their names are Robert Grossman, 88, and Joanne Grossman, 85.

Update: 10 a.m. Friday

Prescott police found an 88-year-old man dead from a gunshot wound and his wife also shot and in critical condition in a murder-suicide at 8:45 p.m. Thursday outside a medical building in the 1000 block of South Ruth Street, said Prescott Police Lt. Andy Reinhardt.

"The husband and wife were both suffering from terminal illnesses - he had a cardiac condition and she had cancer," Reinhardt said Friday morning. "The husband called police and said this is where we are at and this is what we're going to do, then he shot his wife and then himself."

Responding officers found the couple, and the woman still was alive. LifeLine Ambulance took her to Yavapai Regional Medical Center, Reinhardt said, then she was flown to John C. Lincoln North Mountain Medical Center in Phoenix where she later died.

Police will not release the names of the couple until their next of kin have been notified, Reinhardt said.

He added that it is unknown why the couple chose to do this outside the medical center near Prescott High School. "Detectives asked him that question when he called, but he did not respond," Reinhardt said. "The couple lived nearby at ... an assisted-living center."

Officers briefly closed Ruth Street to traffic as they investigated, and several emergency vehicles were at the scene where officers were seen bagging items near the building.

Initial report from the scene: 9 p.m. Thursday

PRESCOTT - Police responded Thursday night to a possible or attempted murder-suicide in the 1000 block of Ruth Street, across from Prescott High School, an officer at the scene said.

Authorities found two elderly people - a man and a woman - outside of a medical building there, the officer said, at about 8:45 p.m. It is not clear who called police to the scene or who originally found the couple.

The woman was transported by LifeLine ambulance to Yavapai Regional Medical Center. The man was still at the scene. Their conditions and identities were unknown at press time.

The injuries appeared to be gunshot wounds, the officer added, deferring further questions to the police spokesman, who was unavailable at press time.

Ruth Street was briefly blocked off to traffic, and multiple emergency vehicles were at the scene. Officers were seen bagging items from near the building.